Most of living organisms including human beings maintain their vital activities by using oxygen. However, active oxygen in a living body has an intense toxicity. Recent studies have been clarifying that oxygen troubles closely relate to geriatric diseases such as carcinogenesis, ischemic diseases, diabetes, various cellular functional disorders due to the formation of lipid peroxides, aging, etc. In particular, unsaturated fatty acids constituting the brain and biomembranes are liable to be attacked by oxygen radicals and, as a result, the unsaturated fatty acids attacked form lipid peroxides via lipid peroxidation chain reactions. It is assumed that the formation of these lipid peroxides might relate not only to arterial sclerosis and liver diseases but also to carcinogenesis, aging, etc.
Under these circumstances, studies have been made on the screening of antioxidants contained in individual food, clarification of the function mechanisms, production methods, etc. from the viewpoint of the regulation of lipid peroxides in a living body. However, the clarification is still insufficient until now. From the viewpoint of diet to regulate the peroxidation of lipids, attention should be paid on the following points: (1) reduction of calory intake; (2) reduction of unsaturated fatty acid intake; (3) addition of tocopherol or synthetic antioxidants, etc. However, it is not always easy to change the dietary contents so as to satisfy these requirements.
Accordingly, it has been urgently desired to conveniently provide a food or drink product at a low cost which exerts an excellent effect of inhibiting an increase in lipid peroxides without largely changing the daily dietary contents.